Walkable and resurgent for whom? The uneven geographies of walkability in Buffalo, NY. (March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Knight, Jason; Weaver, Russell; Jones, Paula
• Is Part Of: Applied geography. Volume 92(2018)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 11
• Publication Date: 2018-03
• Subjects: Geography -- Periodicals; Human geography -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; 910
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.01.008
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-6228

Abstract

Abstract: Planners and policymakers are increasingly calling for investment into walkable neighborhoods as a means for creating new social, economic, and cultural value in cities. Such calls are often for the kind of high density, mixed-use urbanism that existed prior to the automobile era. Notably, many older industrial cities once exhibited this style of urbanism, and were characterized as "walking cities". More recently, these cities have battled persistent population loss, economic contraction, physical deterioration, and auto-oriented development. As such, their landscapes of walkability may now be fractured or uneven. Moreover, redevelopment efforts that champion "walkability" in such places are regularly targeted toward stable and gentrifying neighborhoods, rather than more distressed areas where resident mobility is comparatively limited. This paper engages with these and related themes for Buffalo, NY—a classic American "shrinking city"—to understand if/how walkability varies for different socioeconomic and demographic groups. We use WalkScore ® data measured at the census block group-level to study the geographies of walkability relative to selected socioeconomic attributes. We find that walkable block groups are highly clustered in certain parts of the city, that housing values in walkable areas are increasing, and that individuals in poverty and members of certain minority groups live in block groups with disproportionately low WalkScore ® . Crucially, the city features several clusters of limited mobility wherein walkability is poor and residents have insufficient access to automobiles. These results suggest that social justice must be a prominent element in urban redevelopment strategies that call for investments into "walkability". Highlights: WalkScore ® data used to study uneven geographies of walkability in a shrinking U.S. city. Walkable block groups are highly clustered in stable and gentrifying parts of the study area. Housing values in walkable areas are sharply increasing. Black and unemployed residents are most likely to live in block groups with disproportionately low walkability. Buffalo features several clusters of isolation where walkability is poor, and residents have poor access to automobiles.